Does your business handle and store perishables? Whether they’re food products, pharmaceuticals or sensitive items, ensuring you have the right temperature-controlled rooms is imperative. But how do you know if you need a freezer room or a cool room?
Though the terms might seem interchangeable, they both have key differences that could impact your bottom line. Here, we’ll detail everything you need to know so you can make an informed decision for your business.
For personalised advice, contact our team at Tempright Refrigeration Services today.
What is a Cool Room?
A cool room is a room designed to maintain lower, cooler temperatures. They work by sealing the space and refrigerating the area with an integrated system, often maintaining temperatures between -2 degrees Celsius and 5 degrees Celsius.
These rooms are built as storage rooms and are relatively easy to access despite the seals. They are ideal for perishable foods, pharmaceutical products, fermenting wines and brewing, floral storage and much more. They can extend the life span of perishables, without damaging the product with extreme temperatures.
Cost and Maintenance
Cool rooms are generally less expensive to set up and maintain than freezer rooms. Because they don’t have to reach extremely low temperatures, their refrigeration system does not have to work as hard saving on energy and cost.
The cost of setting up a cool room is determined by several factors such as size, your chosen refrigeration system and your temperature requirements.
What is a Freezer Room?
A freezer room is similar to a cool room, in that they both maintain lower temperatures consistently over long periods to store products. A freezer room is designed to be sealed and is almost always kept closed to retain the desired temperature. Ice is used around the edges to offer further temperature regulation.
The main difference between the two types of rooms is the temperatures they can reach. While cool rooms hover just below and above 0 degrees Celcius, freezer rooms are designed to maintain much lower temperatures.
Usually, freezer rooms are designed to keep spaces between -18 degrees Celcius and -40 degrees Celcius. Likewise, because of this temperature difference, they are ideal for storing other products for much longer.
Freezer rooms are often used for storing meat, pharmaceutical biological samples, lab use and various shipping needs. These are often used in conjunction with cool rooms for most hospitality businesses, as they need to store fresh produce and freeze products like meat for long periods.
Cost and Maintenance
Freezer rooms are often more expensive than cool rooms. They must maintain much lower temperatures, forcing their refrigerating systems to work harder. This will likely have a significant impact on energy consumption and costs.
Likewise, freezer rooms can be more involved and costly to build. They need a lot more features to maintain their colder temperatures such as specialised doors and seals, more advanced refrigeration systems and thicker insulation.
Furthermore, freezer rooms must accommodate more comprehensive safety considerations as they are potentially more dangerous to people if used incorrectly.
Choosing Which is Right For You
When choosing which type of refrigerated room is right for you, you must consider your business needs. If you only store products like fresh produce and flowers, a cool room will likely be more than enough to keep them in the best condition. If you have products that often need to be frozen or stored at a lower temperature, such as meat or dairy products, you will likely need a freezer room.
Likewise, depending on the size, freezer rooms are often more expensive than cool rooms. You’ll also need to take into account how it will fit into your operations. Freezer rooms are often smaller and more compact, which can be easier to attach to buildings. Cool rooms are often larger, which is more useful for storage but can be difficult to assign and make space for.
Similarly, though your needs may be clear-cut, it’s important to consider the benefits of having both. With both rooms, you can optimise your storage and expand into different products, growing your business. Likewise, having both can ensure you will meet any health and safety requirements for your products.
Get Great Advice and Support
At Tempright Refrigeration Services, we offer repairs, installation and maintenance services for all your cool and freezer room needs. We’ll ensure you can benefit from precise temperature control and find the perfect solution to your product storage problems. Reach out to our team to discuss your cool and freezer room options and support your business growth today.
